Rod-bending apparatus.



B. L. BROWN, JR. ROD BENDING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED 0GT.31, 1912.

Patented July 1, 1913.-

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EUGENE L. BROWN, JR., 015 ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

BOD-BENLDING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed October 31, 1912. Serial No. 728,807.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EUGENE L. BROWN, J12, a citizen of the United Statesof America, and a resident of the city of St. Louis and State ofMissouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inRod-Bending Apparatus, of which the following is a full, clear,and exactdescription, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming apart of this specification. I

My invention relates to an apparatus for bending rods, or other objectsof like nature, that require to be bent into particular shapes beforethey are used for specific purposes.

The principal object of my invention is to provide an apparatus of thiskind by which rods used in the reinforcement of concrete structures maybe shaped according to requirements.

Figure I is a top or plan view of my bending apparatus, with the movableelements shown in both full lines and dotted lines to indicate theirpositions previous to and sub sequent to rod bending operations. Fig. IIis a front elevation'of the apparatus. Fig. III is an enlarged top orplan view of portions of my apparatus, including one of the pivot headsand the rod bending members swingingly connected to said head. Fig. IVis a vertical longitudinal section through the parts shown in Fig. III.

In the drawings: 1 designates the base of my apparatus, which isprovided with end uprights 2. f

3 is a horizontal rod extending longitudinally of the base 1, andmounted at its ends in the uprights 2.

1 is a main drive shaft, preferablynoncircular in shape, which isrotatably mounted in the uprights 2, and to which power may be suppliedin any suitable manner. The shaft may, as illustrated, be provided withan extension 5, to which a pulley may be secured.

A designates pivot heads supported by the horizontal rod 3, andpreferably slidably arranged thereon, in order that the heads may beadjusted to space them from each other according to desire orrequirement in the use of the apparatus. To provide for the pivot headsbeing maintained in fixed positions, I place in each of them a set screw6 that serves to hold the head from movement longitudinally of thesupporting rod 3 by impingement against said rod. Each pivot head isprovided with a member 7 through which the main drive shaft/1 extends,and.

. containing the bore, and has fixed to it 'a Patented .Ii11y1,1913.i

beveled gearwheel 12, in mesh with the bevhead also includes a verticalwing 14 that extends downwardly at an angle to the horizontal wing 13,as seen most clearly in Fig. IV.

15 are carrier bars arranged parallel with each other, these bars beingsecured at their inner ends to the vertical wing of the inner bendinghead B with which thebars are associated. There are preferably two ofthe carrier bars attached to each inner bending head, and the bars ineach pair are connected by inner stays 16 and outer stays 17 suitablysecured thereto, so that they may serve to maintain the rods in theirproper correlative positions. 4

18 designates secondary drive shafts j ournaled in part in the verticalwings of the inner bending heads B, and in part in the stays 16 and 17These auxiliary shafts are, like the main drive shaft 1, preferablynoncircular in cross section. Each of said shafts has fixed to it at itsinner end a spur wheel 19 that meshes with a spur wheel 20, fixed to astub shaft 21 ournaled in part in the adjacent vertical wing of theinner bending head B, and in part in the adjacent inner stay 16. Eachstub shaft also has fixed to it at the side of the vertical wing of theinner bending head in which the stub shaft is mounted a beveled gearwheel 22, which is in mesh with the stationary gear teeth 10 o thecorresponding pivot head A.

In the use of my apparatus, the operation of the parts thus fardescribed is as follows: IVhen the main drive shaft 4 is operated, itacts to impart rotation to the beveled gear wheels 8 mounted thereon,and these gear wheels serve to drive the gear wheels 12 in meshtherewith, whereby partial rotation is imparted to the pivot shaft 11,and the inner bending heads B fixed to said pivot shafts are moved in anarc of a circle, carrying with them the carrier bars 15, the auxiliarydrive shafts 18, the stubshafts 21, and the other elements supported bysaid inner bending heads. During such movements of the inner bendingheads, the beveled gear wheels 22 travel in mesh with the stationarygear teeth 10 on the pivot heads A and, as a consequence, said wheels 22are rotated, thereby causing rotation of the stub of the carrier bars15. Each bending head C.

includes a horizontal member 24 through which the carrier bars 15extend, and also a vertical leg 25 through which an ,auxiliary driveshaft 18 extends; and the leg of each head constitutes a bearing for abeveled gear Wheel 26, fitted to the auxiliary shaft extending throughsaid leg. The beveled gear wheels 26 mesh with the beveled gear wheels27 that are fixed to vertical shafts 28 extending through bores in thehorizontal members 24 of the outer bending heads C, said shaftsbeing'extended above said horizontal members. The portions 28 of theshafts 28 above the bending heads are preferably polygonal in shape, asseen in Figs. III and IV, and above said portions are abutments 29formed integral with the shafts.

30 designates bending arms fitted to the upper ends 28 of the shafts 28and adapted to be rotated by said shafts. These bending arms areprovided with studs 31, offset from the axes of the bending arms. Oneach outer bending head 0 is an abutment 32 that is so located as toprovide for the stud on the bending arm 30 being in alinement therewithlongitudinally of the carrier bars l5, when the bending arms are intheir normal positions, as seen in Figs. I and III.

On the pivot heads A of my apparatus are abutments 33, which are locatedbackwardly and inwardly relative to the axes of the inner bending headsB, and against which a rod, such as that shown at X may be bent when theswinging elements of the apparatus are moved from the positions seen infull lines to the positions seen in dotted lines, Fig. I. On the innerbending heads B are abutments 8 L that press against the rod when it isbeing bent by the movement of the parts just referred to, these lastmentioned abutments being of service to prevent the rod from becomingbowed while the rod is being bent at its portions that contact with theabutments 83.

From the description justgiven, it will be understood that when theswinging elements are moved from the full line to dotted line positions,Fig. I, I produce such bends as to render the rod X of U-shape, it beingunderstood that the rod is, previous to the bending operation,longitudinally positioned so as to lie upon the pivot heads A adjacentto the abutments 33, and also upon the inner bending heads B and theouter bending heads 0 adjacent to the abutments 32 on the latter and thestuds 31 on the bending arms 80, which are primarily substantially inalinement with the last mentioned abutments. During the movement of thebending heads B and O and the swinging elements associated therewith,the auxiliary shafts 18 are operated, as previously explained, and actto drive the beveled gear wheels 26 and 27 and the shafts 28 in theouter bending heads; and, in consequence, the bending arms 30 arepartially rotated. As a result of the partial rotation of said bendingarms, the studs 31 carried thereby are forcibly pressed against the rodand act to bend the rod around the abutments 29, whereby the endportions of the rod X. are bent at angles to the arms of the rodpreviously bent into U-shape, it being obvious that the degree of suchbending operation will be commensurate with the degree of movement ofthe bending arms 30. When the bending arms are in operation to producethe bends referred to, the abutments 32 act to prevent bowing of thearms of the rod, due to their positions relative to the bending points,as will be readily apparent.

I claim 1. In a rod bending apparatus, a pair of pivotally mountedbending sections, rod receiving abutment-s adjacent to the pivots ofsaid sections, rod bending members carried by said pivotally mountedbending sections, rotatable shafts carried by said pivotally mountedsections, and means for rotating said shafts to operate said rod bendingmembers.

2. In a rod bending apparatus, a pair of pivotally mounted bendinsections, rod receiving abutments adjacent to the pivots of saidpivotally mounted bending sections, rod bending members in the form ofcranks carried by said pivotally mounted sections,

rotatable shafts carried by said pivotally mounted sections and gearedto said cranks, and means for causing said shafts to rotate While thepivotally mounted bending sections are being rocked on their pivots.

3. In a rod bending apparatus, a pivotally mounted bending section, arotatable rod bending member carried by said pivotally mounted bendingsection, an abutment carried by said pivotally mounted bending section,said rotatable rod bending member being operable to bend a rod aroundsaid abutment, a power shaft, and means carried by said pivotallymounted rod bending section for causing said rotatable rod bendingmember to partake of the movement of said power shaft.

4. In a rod bending apparatus, a pivotally mounted bending section, arod bending member in the form of a crank carried by said pivotailymounted section, a rotatable shaft carried by said pivotally mountedsection and geared to said crank, and means for causing said shaft torotate While the pi'votally mounted bending section is rocked on itspivot.

EUGENE L. BROWN, JR. In the presence of- A. J. MOCAULEY, E. B. LINN.

- Copies 01 this patent may be obtained for five cents each, byaddressing the Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, I). C.

